As a preteen, my favorite TV show was “Write it Yourself,” which was aired every Friday during the BBC Children’s Hour. The first episode of each serial was chosen from stack of entries submitted by children throughout England. After that, follow-up episodes were picked from submissions that were received early the next week. For week after week, I won an honorable mention. Then one day, the program received a record number of entries. As the camera zoomed in on several mail bags, each full to the brim, the announcer said that the winner’s name should be very familiar to the viewers. When he announced my name, I felt full of pride. To see my name scrolling up the screen as the author filled me with joy.
My latest work, a memoir about rebelling against the ebb and flow of discrimination over two continents, is nearing completion. This light-hearted memoir carries a serious message. While following an unusual and sometimes bizarre life story, it addresses techniques to overcome overt and subtle gender bias learned in two continents and spanning several decades.
In the course of the book, I identify character traits that stand in the way of my success, rooted in both genetics and childhood experiences, so that I can change my attitude and behavior to counteract the many obstacles that confront me. These are all techniques that the reader can use, and they are set out clearly.
Everyone yearns for equality. Women who by choice or necessity join the workforce deserve to be treated the same as their male colleagues. Those who choose a more traditional life as a wife and mother need others to understand that it’s a choice, and not a role that has been thrust on them. Women are treated as second-class citizens in almost every country, and discrimination thrives beneath the surface even where it’s illegal.
Even when women acquire good jobs, bias still haunts them. At work, they are often required to interrupt the task at hand to brew coffee and perform other tasks for the comfort of their male colleagues, while maintaining the same productivity. To counteract the myth of male superiority, they often feel the need to exceed men’s accomplishments. Meanwhile, women who choose to work inside the home are derided as “just housewives.” They are expected to pamper their husbands and take care of them after they return from a busy day at work, even though housework and childcare are often more physically and emotionally exhausting.
While reading a light, entertaining book, readers will absorb many techniques to counteract gender bias, from head-on challenges to overt discrimination to sniffing out issues that simmer below the surface. They will learn the importance of changing their own attitudes and behavior and the futility of trying to change others. They will learn to think three steps ahead before making a life-changing decision, instead of acting impulsively or overreacting to the situation. They will learn how to maintain optimism during hard times and never give up.